Hey
by embrace-the-deception
Summary: For karatekid1018. Jeff moved away after graduation, leaving Nick in Ohio. Now it's one year later, and it's make or break time for Niff. Angst, fluff, Niff - what's not to love? T for themes and swearing. ONESHOT


**Okay, so a bit of a story behind this one. **

**I posted my first chapter of my new fic My Life With You, which follows the life of Nick and Jeff after graduating. Then I got a review with an idea I just couldn't pass up.**

**karatekid1018 - _God, please continue! Write a follow up, like, a year later, and Nick hasn't seen Jeff since they said goodbye and spent a "special" night together if you catch my drift. Nick's like at the airport and sees Jeff and they just run into each other's arms and Jeff pulls out a ring and proposes, since a year without Nick has been his own personal hell. That good? Please use it! =D_**

**Well, I already had My Life With You planned out, so I couldn't put the idea into the story. But I really wanted to do it, so karatekid, now it's a oneshot for you! **

**The characters and timeline are essentially the same as My Life With You/Just Friends, so I guess it's a kind of AU of MLWY. (Yeah, because that makes total sense) But you don't need to read those for this to make sense. **

**F-word used, you've been warned.**

**So, with that said, read on and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>A whole fucking year.<p>

Nick sighed, resting his head against the window. He looked out into the backyard where his sister was playing with the dog, chasing it around the yard. His mind was drawn back to the piece of paper in his hand, the one he had been rereading all day. He didn't know why – he'd just found it in a drawer earlier and hadn't been able to put it down. The words were so familiar but every time he read them they seemed new and fresh, hurting all the more.

_Nick_

_I know it's been a while, I just haven't had the time to write. Life's been so busy lately. I can barely breathe sometimes for everything that's going on. _

He stared at the words, chewing on his lip thoughtfully as he read silently to himself. He'd gotten the letter a month ago –and the last one before that had been three months. The letters were coming in less and less frequently. When he'd moved, Jeff had been sending them every other day or so, saying how much he missed Nick. Now he was barely getting anything from him at all.

_I've missed you. Every day I'm reminded of you, or I'll just think of you for no reason at all except for the fact I miss you, and I love you._

Well, wasn't that just fucking amazing? Nick missed Jeff more than anything in the world, but all he got were a few measly letters, and even they were few and far between. Nick had stopped sending letters of his own. Jeff didn't seem to reply to very many of them. He answered Jeff's, but that was the extent of it. They didn't talk anymore. They used to call, but not anymore – too expensive.

_I'm so sorry it's taken this long. I really am. God, I miss you. I can't stand this anymore._

Nick sighed again, leaning his weight against the glass. He was sat on the window seat, one arm wrapped around his knee against his chest, the other gently holding the piece of paper that held the last words Jeff had ever written to him. A whole month ago. Nick had considered writing to him some time during that month, but every time he thought of a reason not to. Jeff was busy. Jeff didn't want to hear from him – or he would have said something. Why should he? Too busy himself. All the reasons were stupid but he couldn't bring himself to write in case the next letter told him never to do it again. God, he was so scared.

_How's life? I hope everything's still okay over there. Still working at AJ's General? I'm still working at the café. Imogen's just as crazy as ever. Still talks a mile a minute. She'd love to meet you. I really want to see you again._

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself before continuing to read. He'd read it so many times, just like all the others, but it still made him want to cry and cry until there was nothing left. He felt so drained lately, empty and cold. He wanted to get away from it all. Get out of Ohio. It didn't matter where. But really, he wanted to go to LA and find Jeff and have this whole nightmare be over. He couldn't stand it anymore, the waiting.

_I haven't got much time. I'm supposed to be finishing this assignment for class tomorrow. But I miss you so much, I wish you were here. Or I was there. _

_I love you._

_Jeff_

That was it. All that he'd written, less than a page. All that Nick was worth now, a few spare minutes here and there, a few lines when Jeff had the time. He'd never felt more useless and worthless in his life. Jeff was off in LA, having the time of his life with all his friends, and where was Nick? Alone, stuck in Westerville, still living with his mother and sister. Didn't have the money to move out. Job was shit. Meanwhile, Jeff was living it up, rooming with his workmate Imogen, going to parties that he had once described to Nick in great detail. Nick was worried. And he was jealous.

He folded the paper up, dropping it on the seat next to him. He glanced out of the window again, seeing Isabelle run around with the dog, laughing as she fell on her back and let the mutt jump on her and lick her face. The seven year old giggled, loud enough to be heard by Nick, scrambling to her feet and pushing the dog away, running across the grass with bare feet flying, hardly touching the ground. Her dark hair streamed out behind her, the dog chasing with a merry bark. Nick bit his lip and looked away. Why was everyone so happy today?

"Nick?"

He pulled himself together long enough to reply to his mother's call, "Yeah?"

"Letter for you."

The tone of her voice told him everything. He stiffened, not sure if he wanted to find out what had been written. Then he got up slowly, leaving the previous paper on the seat as he walked towards the stairs, thoughts spinning and whirling. Could he handle this? What if Jeff was going to tell him everything was over, they were through, long-distance wasn't working anymore? By the time he got halfway down the stairs he was panicking, and jumping the steps two or three at a time and running into the front room where his mother was flicking through the day's mail. He skidded to a stop, staring as his mother held out an envelope to him. He took it carefully, recognising the address. Jeff, for sure.

He retreated back to the window seat upstairs, calling a quick thanks to his mother. As he sat back down he stared at the envelope in his hands, wondering if he should open it. He was terrified. Despite the year apart and the lack of communication between them, he knew he couldn't stand living without Jeff. Jeff was everything to him. He'd been warned so many times about falling so deeply for someone – it would only lead to heartbreak. But he couldn't help it. He loved Jeff with everything he had and no matter how angry he got, he would continue to love him. If Jeff ended it now because of the distance, Nick wasn't sure he'd be able to cope.

With shaking hands he managed to open the envelope and pull the letter out. He closed his eyes for a while, holding the piece of paper cautiously, gingerly. Ran his fingers over the indentations made by the pen, as if hoping he could figure out what they meant without actually having to see them. Finally he opened his eyes and read, dreading what he'd see.

_Nick_

_Hey. _

Fuck, well that was anticlimactic. He'd been expecting something a little more than 'hey'. Even if Jeff wasn't breaking up with him, he could have begun with more than 'hey'.

_It's been forever. I got your last letter. Cal sounds like a shit boss, I always thought he was a nice guy. Sorry. Isabelle's growing up fast, isn't she? How old is she now, seven? She'll be grown up before you know it. So will we._

Oh God, Nick thought, hell, just get on with it.

_I'll be damned if I'm going to let this distance get between us anymore. I know you're beginning to slip away from me and it's all my fault. I should be with you, not here and alone. You shouldn't be there, alone. Ever since we got together we knew we were meant to stick together._

"Well," Nick mumbled to himself "This isn't what I was expecting."

_So I know it's been a long time, and maybe you've already moved on and haven't told me yet. Maybe you got tired of waiting. I hope to God you're still there and waiting for me, because I have no idea how I'll handle it if you're not. If you're seeing someone else, I hope he's better for you than I am, and I wish you luck. But that's not the point. The point is, I'm hoping that even if you're not mine anymore, maybe you'll still come to the airport at seven thirty on Monday 31__st__. I'll be there. I hope you are too._

_Love you. Always have, always will._

_Sorry for being an idiot._

_Jeff_

Nick stared, stunned and confused and elated and feeling a million other feelings all at once. He reread the last part over and over again, trying to get it to sink in but it wouldn't. The whole notion was incredible and didn't seem to want to become reality in Nick's head. He stood up, dizzy, and raced down the stairs. He found his mother still in the front room, just about to walk out. He almost ran into her and attempted to babble to her if she would read the last part for him? She frowned but did so, reading the words out loud and finally, _finally_, it seemed to settle and sink in, digging into his mind as securely as an anchor and Nick knew he would never let it go.

_The point is, I'm hoping that even if you're not mine anymore, maybe you'll still come to the airport at seven thirty on Monday 31__st__. I'll be there. I hope you are too._

"He's coming," Natalia said, a faint smile on her face.

Nick grinned, wrapping his arms around her tightly in a hug that surprised the woman. She laughed to herself, patting her son's back.

"He's coming back," Nick muttered to himself, peeling himself off and running for the backyard. He raced out the back door and almost collided with his little sister. They managed to avoid any serious injury, but fell to the ground from the force. Isabelle looked at him strangely, tilting her head in confusion at her brother's grin.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"He's coming back."

"Who?"

"He's coming back. Jeff's coming back."

Her face lit up, "Jeff-Jeff's coming back? Really?"

Nick hugged her, laughing, "Yeah, he's coming back."

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><p>God, he'd never felt so nervous in his life.<p>

Nick bounced on the balls of his feet, looking around for any sign of the blonde he'd come to love. It was seven thirty, and the plane had supposedly just arrived, according to the signs and the people he'd asked. So now he was just waiting. Waiting for that person to appear and tell him it was going to be alright. Wringing his hands, he'd never been so terrified. But somehow it was a good kind of terrified, the kind that electrified his body and made him hyperaware, like someone on a drug-induced high. He couldn't stand this waiting.

The last time he'd seen Jeff in person had been at this very airport, saying good bye for what felt like the last time. They'd promised they'd meet up again soon, that they wouldn't be apart for long, but for some reason Nick had felt like he was saying good bye and wasn't going to be saying hello again, at least not any time soon. Now here they were, about to say hello again after what felt like a lifetime. So long they'd been apart. He couldn't wait.

His heart skipped a beat then stopped on the next one, breath caught in his throat and he couldn't force the air in or out anymore. He could see him. God, he hadn't changed a bit. His hair was just the same, his eyes, his face. He was wandering across the floor, wearing skinny jeans, a loose grey t-shirt and a black jacket that he had one hand in the pocket of, seemingly nervous. Nick wanted to call out to him, but he couldn't breathe at all. It took Jeff turning around before he saw him. And then neither of them moved, unable to take a step for some force in their way.

Finally, after what seemed to be hours of standing still, Jeff walked towards the brunette on the other side of the floor, slowly and carefully. He pulled his suitcase behind him, trundling along on its little wheels, voices chattering over the top, footsteps of others squeaking on the floor. But they couldn't hear any of it. Jeff came to a stop in front of Nick, biting his lip nervously.

"Hey," he said with a shy smile.

"Hey," Nick replied faintly, not believing it. It had been too long. He wasn't there. He couldn't be.

And then, in the middle of an Ohio airport, surrounded by dozens of other people, they rushed towards each other and their lips met, hurried and urgent. Jeff's hands found their way to the brunette's hips, gripping tightly and digging his fingers in. Nick wound his fingers in Jeff's blonde hair, pulling on it almost harshly as they kissed, though it was something a lot more than that. Deeper, more connecting, more important than a simple kiss.

Nick was shocked back to the last night they'd spent together, a whole year ago. It had been heated and heavy, hands and mouths and teeth everywhere, desperation permeating the hot air as they both knew it was the last time for a long time. The desperation was back again, Nick knowing this couldn't last and he would have to breathe but not wanting to stop.

Finally they pulled apart, breathing fast with foreheads resting together and eyes closed. So long they'd waited. Neither one wanted to speak but Nick eventually, tentatively, broke the silence.

"Jeff," he said quietly, not really sure what to say but knowing he probably should say _something_.

The blonde quietened him, taking his hands protectively, "I should have come back sooner. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I'm sor-"

"God, Jeff, I can't believe you're here," Nick interrupted, all the emotion swirling inside him making him feel like he could cry. Jeff was supposed to be the emotional one but at the moment it was Nick who was on the verge of breaking down. Jeff wrapped his arms around him, Nick resting his head on the other's shoulder and hugging him back tightly.

"I missed you so much," Nick mumbled "I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore."

"No way," Jeff reassured him "I swear, my life got so insane once I moved. I felt awful not being able to write or call. I'm so sorry. I was terrified you'd moved on."

"Never. Not in a million years," Nick smiled.

Jeff laughed and stepped back, smiling at his boyfriend (_yes! Still!_) and shaking his head, "Good."

He took Nick's hands again and his smile changed from excited to nervous. Nick hesitated for a moment, not sure what that meant. He got his answer a second later when Jeff started ramble, as he did when he was nervous.

"Good, because I love you and I never want to leave again, I want to stay with you forever, no matter where that takes us. Los Angeles, Westerville, the other side of the world – I don't care. It doesn't matter to me, I just want to spend every second I have with you."

Nick smiled, though not entirely certain of where this was going. As Jeff continued, he started to get the idea and just stared in shock.

"That last year in LA was hell. Honestly. It may not have sounded like it in the letters or the calls, but it was absolute hell. I couldn't stand to be that far away. So I want to make sure that we never have to do that again. First…"

He trailed off, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. Nick's heart leaped for a moment with a traitorous hope, uncalled-for hope, until he realised it was a small, flat box. He took it carefully from Jeff's outstretched hand and opened it. He stared at the key inside for a moment, then looked back up at his boyfriend, confused.

"It's the key to the place I just rented for us," Jeff said, and then his face fell "I mean, if you want to move, it is pretty far and you know, you grew up here, so-"

"I-I… Of course," Nick breathed, stunned "Of course!"

He slid the key into his jeans pocket and threw a hug around his boyfriend, ecstatic. He would never like to leave his family and the one place he'd grown up in, but he was ready for anything. Even moving halfway across the country.

"Good," Jeff said, gently peeling Nick off him and reaching into his jacket pocket again "Now, second…"

And now Nick's heart just gave up the fight, and he was sure he'd just had a heart attack or something and was dead because there was no way that his boyfriend was getting down on one knee with that grin on his face… No way in _hell_.

"Nick Duval…"

"Oh my God, what…"

"I know we're nineteen, but I know for sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with you…"

"You're not…"

"So I wanted to ask you if you'd possibly want to do the same, and if maybe you'd like to marry me?"

Nick was speechless, unable to think of a single word to say. Jeff opened the small box he was holding with a nervous smile, revealing the silver ring inside. There were three small diamonds surrounding a bright red ruby, nothing too flashy. It didn't matter though – Nick was still utterly astounded.

"Nick?" Jeff asked with a worried expression.

Nick realised he should probably say something, but he couldn't get anything intelligible out. He struggled for a moment, trying to get the one word out that he desperately needed to say. The people around them looked over, curious; some with strange glances and others with more understanding and interested stares, intrigued by what was going on. Nick flailed for a moment, trying to actually have air in his lungs before attempting to speak again.

"Y-Y-Yes!"

Jeff grinned, "Really?"

Nick dropped to his knees and threw his arms around Jeff, the tears starting to flow now as emotion ran riot, "Yes, you idiot!"

Jeff laughed, pulling back to look Nick in the eye, silently making sure. Then he took the ring and held it up questioningly. Nick smiled and laughed, letting Jeff put the silver band on his left ring finger.

"Mommy, what are those boys doing?" a little voice rang out loudly in the busy airport. Jeff and Nick looked up to see a woman with a teenage girl and a young boy, the latter of which was staring intently at the two boys, head tilted in confusion. The mother shook her head, gripping her child's arm and telling him to be quiet and stop staring.

"They're being inappropriate," was all she would say.

The girl shrugged in Jeff and Nick's direction, a smile on her face. She gave them a surreptitious thumbs-up and mouthed 'good luck'.

"_Mommy!_" the boy complained.

"Hey," Nick called out, the boy staring at him with wide eyes. The brunette held his hand up, ring gleaming.

"I'm getting married."

The little boy grinned and clapped until his mother dragged him off, reprimanding him. Nick and Jeff laughed to themselves, embracing each other one more time before getting to their feet. Nick inspected the ring on his finger for a moment, smiling in satisfaction.

"Who'd have thought I'd end up getting engaged at nineteen to my best friend of nearly ten years?" he joked, still a little overwhelmed.

Jeff smiled, "Who'd have thought I'd end up proposing at nineteen to my best friend of nearly ten years? In an _airport_?"

They linked hands with a chuckle, Jeff collecting his bag and the pair heading for the exit. They reached the outside soon enough, the bright sun streaming down on what was a perfectly beautiful day. Even quicker, they found Nick's car and had everything stored in the back.

"By the way," Nick said as he took the driver's seat "You're staying at my place while you're here, but we are getting a motel for the night."

Jeff raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk emerging on his face, "Oh really?"

Nick returned the smirk, looking at his _fiancé_ out of the corner of his eye, "Oh yeah. A _year_, Jeff. I'm not even kidding."

"And I'm not complaining."

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><p><strong>Please review!<strong>


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